Metal forming machine



Aug. 28, 1934.

A. RAFTER 1,971,696

METAL FORMING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 14, 1952 ATTORN EY 2 Sheets-$heet 2 lNVENTORp ATTORNEY V RAFTER METAL FORMING MACHINE am; \\\h J Aug. 2a, 1934. A.

Filed Dec. 14, 1932 WWW Patented Aug. 28, 1934 1,971,696 I METAL FORMING MACHINE AlbertRafter, Glen -Ridge, N. J.,. assignor to Rafter Machine Company, Belleville,

N. J., a.

"partnership composed of Albert Rafter and John G. Rafter, Jr.

' Application December 14, 1932, Serial No. 647,121

4 Claims.

' This invention relatesto'machines for forming coldmetal into desired shapes, and more particularly to improvements in the means for driving suchmachines. I II I Metal forming, machines'of the type herein considered generally include a plurality of units, each of which has anupper and a lower spindle and die rolls fixedto said spindles. "Heretofore, it has been the practice'to provide a gear system to drive each unit, thus materially increasing the cost of such machines It has been proposed to I dispense with the driving gear systemsby providing worms mounted on a shaft transverse to the spindles, but the use of a'worm and worm wheel arrangement has heretoforebeen objectionable as the tremendous force 'necessaryto be applied to the wormplaces unusual stresses'and strains on the, worms, and they tend to, grind themselves to pieces; also there is a constant tendencylof the o worm to becomedisengag'ed from thewormwheel resulting from the unbalanced forces on the worm, due to the exerting of all of theforces on one side of the worm.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to 25 provide a metal forming machine having a worm and worm wheel' drive, the worm engaging two worm wheels on opposite sidesthereof, softhat the applied force is divided between the wormlwheels, and there isno unbalanced condition of the worm;

and-the stresses strains on the worm are minimized. I I I A furtherobjec't is the provision of a device for driving die roll spindles of a metal forming machine, whichwenables ready and easy adjustment 35 of the spindles toac'commodate die rolls of different shapes and different thicknesses of metal without affecting the operation of the driving device.

A further object is the provision in a metal 1:40 forming machine of a Worm and worm wheel drive, and of means for enabling the speed of the worm to be conveniently adjusted to the speed which causes the most efiicient operation of the was worm.

accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and

in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a die roll unit of a metal forming machine embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

"Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1, and

, I Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4+t of Fig. 1. I

Referringto'the drawings, a die roll unit is shown to comprise a forward support 5, a middle support 6, anda rear support'l; and journalled in said supports are a pair of spaced upper spindles 8 and 9 and a pair of spaced lowerspindles 10 and 11. The spindles 9 and 11 (carry die rolls T12 and 13"desigr1ed 'to give a metal sheet a predetermined shape and spindles 8 and 10 carry die rolls 14,15 respectively to further shape the inetalsheet designated by the numeral 16 in Fig; 3.

Fixed to the upper spindles 8and 9, respectively, are gears 17 and 18 which'may or'may not beof the same diameter. Gears 17 andiS are in mesh with a pinion 19 mounted upon an upper "shaft 20' journalled in the supports 6 and 7 and. positioned between the spindles 8 and 9. Similarly fixed to lowerspindles'10 and 11, respectively, are gears 21' and .22 which are in mesh with a pinion'23' fixed to a'shaft I24 journalled 'inthe supports 6 and 7 and positioned between the spindles 10 and 11. Fixed to the upper spin,- dle'20 is a worm wheel25 which is in meshwith 'aworrn 26, positioned below the worm wheel 25, andthe jworm 26 is also inmesh with a worm wheel 27 positioned below the worm 26 and fixed to the shaft 24.

Thejworm 26 is fixed to a shaft 28 extending atrightangles to the spindles and shafts above mentioned, said shaft 28 being supported by bearings 29 .mounted upon the rear support 7.

' I As shown in the drawings, a die roll unit em- 'bodying my invention comprises substantially the structure above described, and such a unit can be readily connected to other similar units by coupling the shafts 28 of adjacent units by means of splines as shown in Fig. 1.

In many instances, metal forming machines include a large number of units as above described, and the expedient of connecting the several units by coupling the shaft 28 enables the ready insertion or removal of a unit with very little effort. The shaft 28 is driven by any suitable means, and the shaft, as is seen from the drawings, lies between the supports 6 and 7, thus presenting a desirable simplified structure with no parts being exposed.

Now, as is well known, a worm in engagement with a worm wheel has a constant tendency to disengage itself and to grind itself to pieces. For eflicient operation of a worm and worm wheel it is accordingly essential that the threads on girl 0 engaged or to grind itself, minimizing the stresses and strains on the worm.

The upper spindles 8 and 9 are adjustable as is described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,792,122

granted to me on February 10, 1931, for the purpose of accommodating die rolls of different shapes and different thicknesses of metal, it being found that an adjustment of two inches is suffi cient to accommodate practically all situations. Such an adjustment may be readily made in the unit above described without disengaging the gears 1'7 and 18 from the pinion 19...

Inasmuch as the proper speed of the gears and of the worm and worm Wheels is essential to efficient operation of the worm and worm wheels, I can readily adjust the speed by removing a tooth or adding a tooth to the pinions 19 or to the gears 17 or 18, without affecting their operation.

From the above description it will be seen that I have provided a structure which enables me to easily and conveniently adjust the speed of the gearing to the speed which produces the most efficient operation of the worm and worm wheels, and enables the threads on the wormand worm wheels to be cut to a standard angle so that after they have been installed in a unit, the speed can be adjusted to give the most emcient operation. By providing a worm of a standard size and shape, I am able toeconomically use very durable hardened and ground worms, preferably made of steel; and the worm wheels are preferably made of aluminum bronze or the like.

It will be noted that the worm wheels are not on the spindles which carry gears 17 and 18, so that any adjustment of said spindles or the gears will not affect the operation of the worm wheels.

The foregoing disclosure is to be regarded as descriptive and illustrative only, and not as restrictive or limitative of the invention, of which obviously an embodiment may be-constructed including many modifications, without departing from the general scope herein indicated and denoted in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a metal forming machine, a front support and a rear support, an upper spindle and a lower spindle rotatably mounted in said supports, metal forming die rolls mounted on said spindles, gears fixed to said spindles, an upper shaft and a lower shaft rotatably mounted in said supports, pinions on 'saidshafts engaging said gears, worm wheels fixed to said shafts, and a driving worm having opposite sides thereof in engagement with said worm wheels.

2. In a metal forming machine, a front support and arear support, a pair of spaced upper spindles rotatably mounted in said supports, a pair'of spaced lower spindles rotatably mounted insaid supports, metal forming die rolls mounted on said spindles, each of said spindles having a gear fixed thereto, an upper shaft rotatably mountedlin the supports between the upper spindles, apinion on said shaft engaging the gears on said upper spindles, a lower shaft rotatably mounted on said supports and having a pinion fixed thereto engaging the gears on the lower spindles, a worm extending transversely to said shaft, a worm wheel on the upper shaft engaging the upper side of said worm, and a worm wheel on'the lower shaft engaging the lower side of said worm.

3. In a metal forming machine, a front support and a rear support, a pair of spaced upper spindles rotatably mounted in said supports, a pair of spaced lower spindles rotatably mounted in said supports, metal forming die rolls mounted on said spindles, an upper shaft and lower shaft rotatably mounted in said supports, a worm wheel fixed to the upper shaft and a worm wheel fixed to the lower shaft, a driving worm having opposite sides thereof in engagement with said worm Wheels, means on the upper shaft to drive the upper spindle, and means on the lower shaft to drive the lower spindle.

4. In a metal forming machine, a front support and a rear support, a pair of spaced upper spindles rotatably mounted in said supports, a pair of spaced lower spindles rotatably mounted in said supports, die rolls mounted on said spindles, an upper shaft rotatably mounted in the supports between the upper spindles, a lower shaft rotatably mounted in the supports between the lower spindles, gearsfixed to said spindles, a pinion on the upper shaft engaging the gears on the upper spindles, a pinion on the lower shaft engaging the gears on the lower spindles, and means to drive said shafts.

ALBERT RAFTER. 

